Intensity

I learned two songs on the mandolin, and possibly a third.  Wagon Wheel, by Old Crow Medicine Show is the first one.  And pretty much everyone who can play an instrument can play Wagon Wheel.  And people around here hate playing it because it's been overdone and people think that it's "bluegrass", so it's usually frowned upon in these parts.  The other song is Helpless by Neil Young.  Which is a bad ass song.  But really I like it because it's the same three chords over and over again (Billy, you could play this song!). 

Tuesday was yet another concert at the Schoolhouse in Mill Point.  The band, Sounds like Leland, were from Austin.  They had a pretty laid back sound, and the members were really cool.  Before the concert, we had a pot luck.  Being poor, I didn't have anything to contribute, but I definitely participated in eating.  So much hippie food.  Gluten free chili, pesto pizza, fresh greens, cucumber salad, and Old Mil beer.  Good times.  After the show, we headed to our favorite swimmin' hole for some of this.  Then we listened to some tunes around a campfire.  I mean come on, how freaking cliche can we get?  It's like I'm living in a movie about the joys of summer.  It's actually pretty silly sometimes.

It's been too freaking hot lately.  I thought I left southwest Georgia!  Freaking 90 degrees all week.  I almost wish I was back in GA because at least they have AC down there.  Up here, you gotta fend for yourself.  Just get used to people smelling by noon, because that shower you took this morning isn't gonna keep you clean through this humidity.  And the river is getting all scummy and shit because it's been so hot and not a lot of rain fall.  Bathing in the river is actually really counterproductive now because you soap up and rinse off and there's a big piece of scum on your arm.  So during the day, I try to think of things to get my outside because the trailer is like a freaking oven.  Cody's is having a hard time.  In GA, he could escape the heat by going inside in the AC, but here he's constantly panting and sweating and quite miserable.  We still go on a run about everyday, but it takes him about two hours to get his breathing back to normal.  I need to get him shaved again.

So during the Schoolhouse concert on Tuesday, Clay showed up all excited because he found some fresh roadkill.  I'm not even kidding.  He stopped on the side of the road and cut up this deer to bring home and cook.  I'm not even kidding.  He said that muscles were still twitching.  I'm not even kidding.  I thought he was kidding at first.  He was not.  Wednesday, they cooked it up at Tent City and it was delicious.  I'm not even kidding.  I'm surprised that I even ate it, but I was happy that I did.  We had a feast over there with that meat and I brought some Vidalia onions and there were potatoes and peppers and all kinds of stuff.  It was easily one of the best meals I've had in WV. 

So some of my friends are in this "rock" band called Power.  Ridiculous, I know.  I haven't had the pleasure of hearing them play yet, but I'm pretty sure with a name like Power, it's gonna be entertaining.  Well the Tent City boys keep making all these plans to get songs together and travel the country and actually be a legit band.  Yeah right, and I wanna be a princess when I grow up.  So they were trying to come up with names.  I like the Tent City Boys, personally.  Another name was Schoolhouse Revival, in regards to the Schoolhouse in Mill Point and also the one at Tent City.  Then someone threw out "Intensity," as a pun on Tent City, and I about lost it.  I thought that was the greatest thing ever.  So be on the lookout in your town for the bands Power and Intensity, because it's gonna happen.  I've already been given the role of merchandise girl.  Oh joy.

I'm going away for the weekend, and that's prolly a good thing because my fridge is empty.  It looks like I just moved in.  Literally all I have in my fridge is a package of cream cheese (I know, I can't believe I haven't eaten it yet either!), some homemade strawberry jam, and about 4 ounces of off brand Sprite that's been sitting in there for almost two months.  The AmeriCorps kids have told me to get food stamps.  With such a small stipend, AmeriCorps actually encourages their members to get food stamps.  And since it's a stipend and not an actual wage, to the government, it's as if these kids don't make any money. So they get a good sum of food stamps each month and they're encouraging me to do the same.  Growing up in white, middle class, semi-suburban America, I think there's a stigma to receiving food stamps.  I mean, I'm not that poor and there are other people that are more deserving.  But someone brought to my attention that you can buy anything with food stamps that has nutrition facts, including candy and pop.  And a lot of people do that, which is silly.  That same person also brought to my attention that the farmer's market in Marlinton accepts food stamps and you can take federal dollars and buy local food. And a lot of people around here do that, which is kick ass.  So, middle class stigma, bugger off - I'm getting food stamps.

Oh, what up, beautiful sunset.